THIS APP IS GOOD FOR KIDS WHO NEED HELP WITH:

Focus

Getting started and then maintaining attention and effort to tasks.

Reading for comprehension, pleasure, or study is an activity highly dependent on the focus thinking skill. This thinking skill helps users avoid distraction when engaged in an activity. As users make their way through each chapter at the appropriate reading level, it's important that they pay close attention to hyperlinked or underlined words. These are vocabulary terms critical to the understanding of the chapter as a whole. Hi res images and informative videos offer users a break from text, and allow them to see the content in a new, more invigorating format. For users who have a difficult time committing their time and energy to an entire chapter, it might be a good idea to use the bookmark tool, so they can mark their progress.

Working Memory

Recalling and retaining information in our minds while working.

There are few better ways to gauge mastery and monitor progress than a quiz. And quizzes are abound in Seashores to Sea Floors. In fact there is one after each chapter. Typically, the quiz will highlight important terms and ideas that were presented in the chapter in the the form of multiple choice-styled questions. The last few questions are free response (usually requiring at least a sentence or two) and have to be submitted to a teacher or parent for grading or review. It might be a good idea after reading a chapter once, to enter the "student notes" section of the app. Here users can develop a few flashcards before they commit to the quiz. Not only will they be more prepared having taken notes, users will have engaged the working memory in a significant way.

Reading

Seashores to Sea Floors really shines as a reading app because users have the option to choose the reading level they are most comfortable with. The difference between a chapter at a level 1 reading level and a level 5 reading level really only has to do with word choice and sentence and paragraph length. Level 1 uses very short sentences, and what it sacrifices in content, it makes up for in brevity and ease. Whether it's vocabulary, phonics, phonemic awareness, fluency, or reading comprehension, Seashores to Sea Floors practices many aspects of literacy, while teaching important lessons in earth science and oceanography.